THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has automated the issuance of permits for the trading of flora and fauna to enhance global trade transparency and, in the long term, prevent illegal trade and sustainably develop biodiversity.

More than 38,700 species, including 5,900 species of animals and 32,800 species of plants, are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), an international treaty signed by the Philippines. It was entered into force in 1975. Each species is under any of three appendices depending on the degree of protection they need.